The Math Behind the Pull: Print Runs & Pack Odds Explained

[ShaqcollectorDE]

Ever wonder how many copies of a rare insert actually exist — even when it’s not serial-numbered?

This article walks you through how to reverse-engineer print runs using pack odds, set size, and basic probability. You’ll also learn how to calculate how many packs you’d need to rip to realistically pull a specific card.

No math degree required — just some logic, a few formulas, and a passion for collecting. If you rip wax or chase inserts, this will help you understand the odds behind the hobby.

https://medium.com/@shaqcardcollecto...1-8ca5596e8d81

[Nomad]

That's pretty cool. Could you create like a plug-in so we could just input the variables and find print run?

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by Nomad

That's pretty cool. Could you create like a plug-in so we could just input the variables and find print run?

LOL, once the algebra equation showed up, my entire brain shut down for some reason and I couldn’t even comprehend the written text any more to finish the rest of the article.

[Lingo4059]

Very informative, thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ShaqcollectorDE]

Originally Posted by Nomad

That's pretty cool. Could you create like a plug-in so we could just input the variables and find print run?

That could rather easily be done but I don't have any programming skills to create that on any web interface or so

[ShaqcollectorDE]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

LOL, once the algebra equation showed up, my entire brain shut down for some reason and I couldn’t even comprehend the written text any more to finish the rest of the article.

Oh no, it seems I went to far with the formulars

[ShaqcollectorDE]

For all the math enthusiasts out there, I’ve written two additional articles that dive into math concepts through the lens of trading cards:

📊 Pareto Principle & Gini Coefficient – This article explains the 80/20 rule and the Gini Coefficient and the application to a trading card collection:

https://medium.com/@shaqcardcollecto...s-c6836c552368

🔢 Entropy & Collection Inequality – A deep dive into how entropy can be used to measure inequality within a collection:

https://medium.com/@shaqcardcollecto...y-fa492ffec69b

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by ShaqcollectorDE

Oh no, it seems I went to far with the formulars

A key to capturing your audience is the ability to transform difficult concepts into layman’s terms.

You lost me at the exponent.

[ShaqcollectorDE]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

A key to capturing your audience is the ability to transform difficult concepts into layman’s terms.

You lost me at the exponent.

While the content may appeal to many collectors, the article leans too heavily on complex math for a general audience. Some simplification would help, but only to a point—after all, as Albert Einstein famously said: 'Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.

[Nomad]

I wonder if using ChatGPT actually made it more complex, than if OP had edited and simplified it himself. Plus we would have had more creative and less grammatical English.

[ShaqcollectorDE]

Originally Posted by Nomad

I wonder if using ChatGPT actually made it more complex, than if OP had edited and simplified it himself. Plus we would have had more creative and less grammatical English.

Unfortunately, there is not historisation feature on Medium so I don't have the last version before the AI edit available. But as I am no native speaker I highly doubt that it was less complexly written before.

[Nomad]

Medium is in many ways a scam. I wrote articles on that platform. They were founded by Twitter and resulted in lots of unpaid writers of content that informed AI as it currently exists.

One's own individual blog site. That was good while Google searches allowed that to last. Now we've got a few forums. At least.